Hannes Keller - Nautical

The only alarm watch in the world that works underwater owes a great deal to the exploits of an extraordinary man, Hannes Keller. Since his basic training days, this Zurich resident has had a passion for diving. It was one of his military friends who had shown young Keller the beauties of the underwater world. In 1959, Vulcain's directors got wind of Hannes Keller's repeated exploits. On his advice, they decided to perfect a watch that would accurately indicate the decompression stops. The famous Nautical was born. Additionally, its chime could be heard very well underwater, an obvious plus in the darkness of the ocean depths. When he first attempted to reach a depth of 155 metres in Lake Maggiore, using a revolutionary mixture of gases concocted by a professor from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and greatly shortened decompression times, Keller did not attract any crowds – only one journalist from the brandnew daily newspaper Blick was present. But the news was heard around the world. More than 500 press articles mentioned it and the newsreels brought the diver instant fame. Keller later beat his own record near Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles. On December 2, 1962, he descended to a depth of 315 metres. Having Keller as its standard-bearer was an extraordinary success for Vulcain.